An important study on time-related words that have second meanings

While working earlier this week, I was struck by the thought about how many words related to time have double meanings. This shocking discovery cost me a few hours of productivity, but it also left me with this important study to share with you today.

Please don’t tell my bosses, but here are a few of the surprising examples about how words that we use to describe time nearly always have second meanings, or at least similar words that sound roughly the same:

Second and second – The first second always goes by quickly, but the second second lasts longer.

Minute and minute – An hour seems like a long time, but a minute seems minute in comparison.

Hour and our – I like to think that for my family, our hour is the dinner hour.

Days and daze – Sometimes, I spend my days in a daze, thinking about time-related words with double meanings.

Month – I’ve got nothing for month. Do you have any ideas here?

Week and weak – I had a weak work week thinking about these time words.

Year and yer – I had a bad week, but this will be yer year for sure.

Decade, decayed and deck aid – The deck aid returned after a decade to find that the old ship had decayed.

Century, century, sensory and a bonus phrase for you – In this new century, sensory overloads are somewhat common, especially in NBA games where the teams regularly reach scores over the century mark. Incidentally, this is what I tried to explain to you when I sent yer email about this same subject last week.

As I explained previously, this is a very important discovery and scientists have not yet determined reasoning behind it. I have come up with a few theories, though:

Time is relative just like words – Perhaps this is a way of the English language letting us know that the idea of time may be very different from one person to the next. It can even vary for you in your own life. Just think about how quickly time goes by when you are in a hurry, and how slowly it drags on when you are waiting in line for the restroom. Just like words, time has many meanings.

Time is confusing – Perhaps Chicago said it best, “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?”

It’s all a big puzzle like those National Treasure movies – If we can solve the “month” riddle, maybe we can get rich.

I suppose for now, though, that I should just appreciate that it’s fun to have words with double meanings, as it makes the language more interesting.

I also think that this discovery is a good reminder that it’s important to enjoy time and take advantage of the days of yer lives. It reminds me of the article I read in Time about how a shortage of thyme could change the flavor of Thai meals. You want to be careful that you don’t waste your time.

While you may think that this article was a waste of time, do you have any other suggestion for time-related words with double meanings? Do you have a suggestion for month? Thanks!